Socialist Party of Malaysia

Celebrating the 8th anniversary of the Venezuelan people’s defeat of the April 11, 2002, coup against Hugo Chavez, and solidarity with the Venezuelan Revolution

By the Socialist Party of Malaysia

April 13, 2010 -- This year April 13 marks the 8th anniversary of people’s victory over the US-backed coup d’état against President Hugo Chavez in 2002. The Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) would like to pay tribute to the revolutionary masses of Venezuela who defended the revolution eight years ago with tremendous courage and now are still fighting to shape Socialism of the 21st Century.

Eight years ago, on April 11, 2002, the right-wing oligarchy of Venezuela backed by the US imperialists, with the help of the corporate media, staged a coup against popularly elected president Hugo Chavez, in an attempt to derail the revolutionary process in Venezuela which has been seen as a threat to the vested interests of the filthy rich oligarchy in Venezuela and US imperialists. The coup failed after over a million people took the streets and called for the return of Hugo Chavez. The defeat of the coup demonstrated how the power of the people from below can make substantial changes, and defend the revolutionary process that in turn empowers the people further.

By Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM), Working People's Association (PRP) of Indonesia, People’s Democratic Party (PRD) of Indonesia, Turn Left Thailand, Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM) of the Philippines, Socialist Alliance of Australia, Solidarity (Australia)

April 10, 2010 -- We are deeply concerned over the current situation in Thailand where military-backed Prime Minister Ahbisit Vejjajiva has declared a state of emergency and started a bloody crackdown amidst escalating protests calling for a fresh election.

PSM member of the national parliament, Dr. Jeyakumar (far right), its national
chairperson and Selangor state assemblyperson, Dr. Nasir Hashim (second from right) ,
and the party’s three municipal councillors publicly declare their assets.

By Peter Boyle

March 24, 2010 -- The Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) is extraordinary in many ways and on March 18 its member of the national parliament, Dr Jeyakumar, its national chairperson and Selangor state assemblyperson, Dr. Nasir Hashim, and the party’s three municipal councillors became the only politicians in Malaysia to publicly declare their assets. The declaration of assets and presentation of annual performance reports has become a routine for the party since 2008 when the PSM had its first electoral victories.

The PSM's political representatives are also obliged to give 40% of their income to the party but have been doing more than that. “This is people's power politics in practice. We come in poor and we go out poor”, explained Dr Nasir.

In addition, the PSM's representatives stick by the following principles:

March 1, 2010 -- Malaysiakini -- The Malaysian government’s full-paying patient (FPP) scheme has again come
under fire from the Coalition Against Health Service Privatisation,
which held simultaneous pickets outside four public hospitals
nationwide.

In the Klang Valley, short pickets by small groups were held at the Serdang and Sungai Buloh hospitals.

A similar protest took place outside the Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah Alor Setar, Kedah, and Hospital Sultan Ismail, Pandan, Johor.

Socialist Party of Malaysia MP Jeyakumar Devaraj addresses a rally against the free trade agreement between Malaysia and the United States.

By Jeyakumar Devaraj

February 11, 2010 -- Aliran Monthly -- Malaysia has only known one
ruling coalition in the past 52 years since independence. But the
result of the March 2008 election has led to rising hope among many
Malaysians that an enormous change might be around the corner – a
two-party system under which the people are free to choose between two
coalitions, which are both capable of governing the country.

The purpose of this paper is to locate the institution of a two-coalition system against a wider historical perspective.

The
concept that every person has an equal right to select the government
irrespective of his or her social status, wealth, education, religious
affiliation or beliefs is a revolutionary idea. And it is relatively
new.

Workers at Burma’s Taiyi shoe factory and Opal 2 garment factory began
a strike on February 8, 2010. They are demanding a salary increase, a
reduction of working hours and the provision of a clean space for
meals.

The strike started in the Mya Fashion garment factory in the No. 3 Factory Zone of Yangon’s Hlaing Thrayar Township.

January 22, 2010 -- For
decades, there was no socialist party of significance in Malaysia. But
in 2009, the Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) made some impressive
gains. The party more than doubled in size and had members elected to
state and national parliament for the first time. PSM activist Sivaranjani Manickam attended the Socialist Alliance
national conference, held in Sydney in early January, 2010. She told Green Left Weekly
that the recent growth in support for the party helped force the
Malaysian government to finally grant it legal recognition after a
10-year battle.

January 27, 2010 -- On January 12,
2010, a 7.3 Richter scale earthquake struck Port-au-Prince, the capital of
Haiti. The earthquake caused great destruction and 200,000 people are thought
to be dead. Further, 3 million Haitians have been rendered homeless by the
quake, which also damaged many public service buildings, such as hospitals and
schools.

The quake
has caused Haitians, who have struggled under decades of poverty and
imperialist intervention and exploitation, even deeper suffering. Approximately
75% of Haitians earned less than US$2 per day and 56% of Haitians – around 4.5
million people – earned less than $1 per day. Most Haitians live in houses made
of adobe and mud.

PSM condemns attacks on churches! Najib and Hishamuddin should take full responsibility!

January 8, 2010 -- The Parti Socialist Malaysia (PSM) is shocked to learn that three churches
have been attacked in the last 12 hours in the Klang Valley – the
Assumption Church in Jalan Templer, Petaling Jaya, the Life Chapel
in Section 17, Petaling Jaya, and the Metro Tabernacle Church in Desa
Melawati, Kuala Lumpur. The three-storey Metro Tabernacle church in
Desa Melawati, part of the Assemblies of God movement,
was set ablaze in the attack which took place around midnight.

We cannot deny the fact that the attacks are somehow related to the
High Court ruling last week which ruled in favour of allowing the Catholic Weekly Herald newspaper, which used the word "Allah" as a translation
for “God” in its Malay-language section. The ruling however was
suspended on January 6 pending an appeal by the government.

More
than 200 activists, including a large proportion of youth and women,
packed Kuala Lumpur’s Chinese Assembly Hall for the first day of
Socialism 2009, an annual conference organised by the Socialist Party
of Malaysia (PSM). It took place November 14 and 15.

October 22, 2009 -- The Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) is concerned for the safety and wellbeing of the 207 Sri
Lankan asylum seekers who are being held at the Immigration Detention
Centre at the Kuala Lumpar International Airport (KLIA), as well as the 108 Sri Lankan
refugees detained at the Pekan Nanas Immigration Detention Centre.

According to our sources, there are 15 women and six children among
the 207 Sri Lankans who were picked up at a road block in Batu Pahat
10 days ago before being transported to the KLIA for detention. Out of
the 108 people detained at Pekan Nenas Immigration Detention Centre,
there are 10 women and 10 children. One of the women is in her eighth
month of pregnancy. It was also reported that the Sri Lankan embassy,
including the deputy high commissioner ,were forcing a group of Sri
Lankan refugees to sign agreements for repatriation. The refugees
refused to sign the agreements and the embassy personnel assaulted them
by beating and kicking them to force them to sign the agreement.

August 13, 2009 -- Pulau Pinang, Malaysia -- PSM -- Today was the moment of truth for Kampung Buah Pala villagers. It
was the third time that their homes have faced demolition. But it was the
first time that the local villagers outnumbered the outsiders who were
the majority during the previous attempt on August 4. Today, when the
police, the developer and the bailiff came, the villagers did not have
the luxury of the presence of state assemblymen, MPs, the state government
representative or even lawyers. Only a handful of Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM, Parti Sosialis Malaysia) members and
Hindraf [a civil rights organisation] supporters were with the villagers.

August 1, 2009 -- Parti Sosialis Malaysia -- The 40,000-strong mobilisation today in Kuala Lumpur and the
thousands who did not make it because of police roadblocks gave a very
clear and precise message to Malaysia's Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak: repeal the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA).

Below are just some of the statements released by solidarity groups, left parties and governments, and international organisations demanding the return to power of Honduras' elected presidet Manuel Zelaya. They have been compiled by Australia's Green Left Weekly.To view the complete list, click HERE.

May 31, 2009 -- Malaysiakini -- The Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM, Parti Sosialis Malaysia) became the latest party to urge the
government to allow former Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) chief Chin Peng to return home for
good. The PSM said the government must honour the peace accord that it
signed with the Communist Party of Malaya in 1989 and allow
former CPM leader Chin Peng to return.

“The government should not backtrack on the peace accord and deny the rights promised to the former communist leader”, said PSM secretary-general S. Arutchelvan.